1. Sky's Sadness

“Stop! You can’t marry that girl, Mr. Louis Harper. I will never give you my blessing!”

Everyone gasped at that cute, high-pitched voice, and Louis was no exception.

He was kneeling on the floor, holding a ring box. When he turned his head, his jaw dropped. His eyes widened, not believing what they had caught.

A little girl was putting her hands on her hips at the entrance of the restaurant!

Her bear jumpsuit made her look super cute, especially with her puffed-up chubby cheeks and forced-to-look-scary eyes.

“Gosh! Who is that little girl? How dare she ruin my proposal?” Louis thought, furious.

A week ago ....

“I’m not sure about telling you this, but I think you deserve to know. Louis is planning to propose to his girlfriend this Saturday. Maybe there’s something you want to tell him. Do it before it’s too late.”

Sky tried to forget that information many times. However, her best friend's voice kept echoing.

The shadow of Louis, her first love, also refused to leave her mind. The longer Sky's eyes were closed, the clearer his face became. Their togetherness in the past was replayed, a togetherness that had never happened again since they lost contact several years ago.

“Tch, why do I keep thinking about him? Come on, Sky. He never even contacted you again. Why remember him?” Sky reminded herself. Every now and then, she wiped the corners of her eyes. “Besides, you’re happy with Summer now.”

As if knowing that her name was on her mother's mind, the little girl lying beside Sky, sat up.

“Mommy, why aren’t you sleeping yet?” the four-year-old toddler asked.

Sky flinched at that sweet voice. She quickly wiped her tears, and turned around. Seeing her daughter’s withered face, she stroked it.

“Honey, why aren’t you sleeping yet? Did I bother you?”

Summer nodded. “You seemed restless, Mommy. You've been moving around a lot. Are you sad because Uncle Louis is going to marry someone else?”

Sky's eyes widened. "Why did you say that?"

“You have seemed gloomy since you spoke to Aunt Emily on the phone.”

“You listened to our conversation?”

Summer nodded. “Will you follow Aunt Emily’s advice, Mommy?”

“W-what advice?”

“About expressing your feelings to Uncle Louis.”

While Sky was stunned, Summer blinked innocently. She continued her words, “Actually .… I know that you like Uncle Louis, Mommy. Your eyes always sparkle whenever you talk about him.”

After one short breath, Summer asked, “Will you ruin his proposal?”

Sky's confusion grew bigger. Her daughter was not even five years old, but why could she talk like that?

“No, Honey. I am nothing to Louis.” Sky tried to make Summer understand. “I have no right to ruin his proposal. Just let him be happy with his girlfriend.”

“But you like him. Why don’t you tell him how you feel, Mommy? Who knows, Uncle Louis might change his mind. Didn’t Aunt Emily say you two used to love each other? I’d be so happy if you married him. I’d have a daddy.”

Sky sighed in disbelief. Before her awkwardness flared, she let out a laugh, albeit a dry one. She had to stop their impromptu discussion immediately.

“Honey, you’re still too young to talk about love. How about we sleep, hmm? It’s already too late. You don’t want to have panda eyes, do you?”

Sky put her arm around Summer, asking her to lie down. Summer did, but her eyebrows furrowed.

“I’m serious, Mommy. Maybe it’s time for me to have a daddy.” Summer repeated her words.

Patting her little arm, Sky shook her head. “Haven't we been fine and happy all this time?”

“Y-yes.”

“That means nothing needs to be changed. Our life is perfect, Honey,” Sky said with finality. “Now let’s sleep. Don’t think about anything else.”

Sky kissed Summer's forehead and closed her eyes. At first glance, she looked like she was about to sleep. But actually, she just wanted to hold back her tears.

“Nothing needs to change,” Sky said to herself. “Everything is fine as long as I’m with Summer.”

Meanwhile, Summer began to think. She knew that her mother was just trying to look okay.

She grabbed the three stuffed otters she usually hugged, lining them up on her stomach.

“Poor Mommy. She can only cry in her heart,” Summer thought as she stroked the mother otter’s head. “She must be embarrassed to admit that she’s sad.”

After a while, her focus shifted to another, bigger plush toy.

‘Mommy has been alone for too long. She needs a husband, just like Otter's Mom. It would be easier to take care of me if she and Uncle Louis were together, like Otter's Mom and Dad.’

Summer linked the hands of two big otters so that they looked like holding each other. Then, she slipped the smallest otters between them. Seeing the togetherness of the plush toys, a sad smile was etched on her face.

‘Otter must be very happy. He has mommy and daddy. Can I be like Otter, who has a complete family?’

Glancing at Sky, Summer blinked. Even though her mother's eyes were tightly closed, she could still see her sadness.

‘Should I help Mommy contact Uncle Louis? Mommy will be happy if Uncle Louis doesn't propose to Grace. She won't cry in secret anymore.’

As she put the otters together to make them look like they were hugging, Summer thought harder. Every now and then, her breath became heavier.

‘If Otter's family can always be together, why can't we? Mommy would be so happy if Uncle Louis was with us. She wouldn't be lonely anymore, and I would be happier too. I could finally call someone Daddy.’

After some consideration, Summer made a firm nod. ‘Yes, I can't only watch. I have to make a plan right away about how to book a ticket and fly to his country. Uncle Louis must not propose to Grace. He must be my Daddy. He can only marry Mommy. I will ruin his proposal!’